Yer Kiddin’ Me? United States Releases $8 Billion in Sanctions Against Iran

John Kerry brokered an “historic” deal with Iran last week, agreeing to lift economic sanctions in exchange for Iran’s compliance with a nuclear accord. Of sorts. On Sunday it was confirmed that the United States would release $8 billion in assets to Tehran. According to the Washington Free Beacon: “Iran will be provided with about $7 billion in sanctions relief, gold, and oil sales under a nuclear deal inked late Saturday in Geneva with Western nations.” Iran’s currency value rose 3% on the strength of the announcement alone. Iranian officials are, as expected, elated by the deal.

The great giveaway or “pact” was inked by John Kerry and the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France along with Germany. Referred to as the P5+1, these nations struck a tough deal. About as tough as melted marshmallow. Oh, Iran isn’t going to stop its enrichment program.

Even NPR, The Lyin’ King’s deferential mouthpiece, did not seem to be completely happy:

One of the toughest diplomatic dances that happened in this agreement is about Iran’s “right to enrich.” Iran has insisted that the world recognize it has a right to enrich uranium for peaceful means … “American officials signaled last week that they were open to a compromise in which the two sides would essentially agree to disagree on how the proliferation treaty should be interpreted, while Tehran continued to enrich”.

Politico adds:

“This agreement will not ‘freeze’ Iran’s nuclear program and won’t require the regime to suspend all enrichment as required by multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a statement. “By allowing the Iranian regime to retain a sizable nuclear infrastructure, this agreement makes a nuclear Iran more likely. There is now an even more urgent need for Congress to increase sanctions until Iran completely abandons its enrichment and reprocessing capabilities.”

Not likely.

The Lyin’ King disagreed and warned Congress last night not to make waves by imposing fresh sanctions: “Doing so would derail this promising first step, alienate us from our allies and risk unraveling the coalition that enabled our sanctions to be enforced in the first place…” In the meanwhile, Iran gets its money back, the only weapon the United States was prepared to use.

Much is being made of “the only chance we have for peace” with Iran. What exactly is being obtained in return for letting Iran off the chain? The Lyin’ King’s doublespeak about additional sanctions is as meaningless as sanctions have been in the first place: Iran now agrees to inspections? They’ve done that before; they’ve never permitted inspections. What is different this time except the pig in the poke has been purchased without the pig having even shown its snout? If Iran chooses to put on a dumb show they will, in all likelihood, show the P5+1 what they wish to show them … carefully staged mock-ups of nuclear development for peaceful purposes only.

What does America have to counter such threats? A nuclear program that has been so severely damaged by the Lyin’ King’s regime as to make it virtually toothless. In return, Iran gets $8 billion … and even that is up for debate. The Washington Free Beacon quoted a senior GOP aide: “It’s pretty clear the White House and State Department have been lying to the American people since the beginning of this process so it wouldn’t shock me to learn they are lying about how much sanctions relief they’re giving Iran now…”

Who would have imagined that while John Kerry was channeling Neville Chamberlain, America would be looking to Israel and Saudi Arabia, in the unlikeliest of partnerships, for the next Winston Churchill?

About the author: Marilyn Assenheim

Marilyn Assenheim was born and raised in New York City. She spent a career in healthcare management although she probably should have been a casting director. Or a cowboy. A serious devotee of history and politics, Marilyn currently lives in the NYC metropolitan area.